Androgen Deprivation Treatment For Prostate Cancer
Published on Mar 25 2010, in the categories: Alternative treatments
Though it’s a frequent male’s disease, the evolution of a prostate cancer can be kept under control if it is detected in its early stages. Advanced forms of cancer can also be treatable but it is best to regularly perform a screening or a medical consultation.
If you are diagnosed with cancer you should probably know there are several methods of treatment recommended by doctors but alternative methods should not be ignored.
Highly relevant to the medical research community is the conventional method of treatment, since it’s, usually, the only form of treatment put in practice by medical scientists and doctors.
Conventional treatment includes surgery, or the removal of the prostate, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cryotherapy and hormonal therapy.
The last one is also known under the name of Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or “chemical castration”, and was discovered in 1941 by Charles B. Huggins, after conducting several research studies while using estrogen to oppose the production of testosterone. The principle that stands behind this medical procedure is that the testosterone or the male androgenic hormone causes the rapid growth in the prostate gland of the cancerous cells, so depriving it of testosterone should maintain to the minimum the multiplying of the cancer cells.
Two types of medication drugs are used in this treatment procedure: the LH-RH agonists, blocking the LH-RH produced by the body in normal conditions and the anti-androgenic drugs, which block the effects of the male hormone on the prostate.
Recent research studies regarding this treatment therapy form concluded there are some serious side-effects to it, besides impotence and gynecomastia or breast enlargement.
People who received for at least a year ADT are much more exposed to cardiovascular diseases, but also those who underwent chemical castration therapy had an increased dying risk of about 85 per cent more higher compared to those not treated.
Unfortunately the androgen deprivation can have only a temporary positive effect and when the tumor reappears it’s usually more aggressive.
The reasons are yet to be found, medical researches presume that normally the body can’t resist such extreme hormonal changes or that this method can have positive results only in cases of advanced cancer.
Expectant management or watchful waiting can also include chemical castration or androgen-deprivation therapy, but before choosing for the right treatment method be sure to advise with your doctor, and follow the instructions he proposes. It is also a better thing to start changing your diet and avoid artificially produced products which may aggravate the evolution of the cancer.
Since we are talking about not one but more prostate cancer treatments ponder about the advantages and disadvantages, and seek counsel from specialists. The prevention and a correct diagnosing should be regarded as the first steps for a healthy life!
If you are diagnosed with cancer you should probably know there are several methods of treatment recommended by doctors but alternative methods should not be ignored.
Highly relevant to the medical research community is the conventional method of treatment, since it’s, usually, the only form of treatment put in practice by medical scientists and doctors.
Conventional treatment includes surgery, or the removal of the prostate, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cryotherapy and hormonal therapy.
The last one is also known under the name of Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or “chemical castration”, and was discovered in 1941 by Charles B. Huggins, after conducting several research studies while using estrogen to oppose the production of testosterone. The principle that stands behind this medical procedure is that the testosterone or the male androgenic hormone causes the rapid growth in the prostate gland of the cancerous cells, so depriving it of testosterone should maintain to the minimum the multiplying of the cancer cells.
Two types of medication drugs are used in this treatment procedure: the LH-RH agonists, blocking the LH-RH produced by the body in normal conditions and the anti-androgenic drugs, which block the effects of the male hormone on the prostate.
Recent research studies regarding this treatment therapy form concluded there are some serious side-effects to it, besides impotence and gynecomastia or breast enlargement.
People who received for at least a year ADT are much more exposed to cardiovascular diseases, but also those who underwent chemical castration therapy had an increased dying risk of about 85 per cent more higher compared to those not treated.
Unfortunately the androgen deprivation can have only a temporary positive effect and when the tumor reappears it’s usually more aggressive.
The reasons are yet to be found, medical researches presume that normally the body can’t resist such extreme hormonal changes or that this method can have positive results only in cases of advanced cancer.
Expectant management or watchful waiting can also include chemical castration or androgen-deprivation therapy, but before choosing for the right treatment method be sure to advise with your doctor, and follow the instructions he proposes. It is also a better thing to start changing your diet and avoid artificially produced products which may aggravate the evolution of the cancer.
Since we are talking about not one but more prostate cancer treatments ponder about the advantages and disadvantages, and seek counsel from specialists. The prevention and a correct diagnosing should be regarded as the first steps for a healthy life!
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